City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MARCH 6, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Grant Application to the 2018 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration ahead of the City's FY 2020 budget decision making process of a grant application to the 2018 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and its subsequent local funding impact.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve the submission of a grant application for $1.5 million over a three-year period to partially fund the addition of nine additional firefighters over a three-year period; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: On February 20, 2019, FEMA opened the competitive grant application period for the 2018 SAFER grant program. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase the number of frontline firefighters. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the abilities of fire departments to comply with staffing response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The SAFER grant program provides funding to local fire departments to increase staffing and deployment for new positions added to a department. The Alexandria Fire Department remains the last locality in the National Capital Region to operate with less than four-person staffing on all fire apparatus. Ten of the Alexandria Fire Department's thirteen apparatus1 are staffed with four persons, leaving three engines not staffed at the fou...
Click here for full text